'Mass mobilization not planned,' Russian UN envoy claims, stops short of ruling it out following elections
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Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed on Aug. 20 that mass mobilization of Russian soldiers is not currently planned, while stopping short of ruling out its possibility following next month's Russian parliamentary election.
The comments follow recent warnings from President Volodymyr Zelensky that Moscow could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops after September's elections, .
"It has been said many times that we don't need a mass mobilization at the moment, it's not planned or expected, as far as I know. But let’s see what happens," Nebenzya said while speaking to reporters at the United Nations
Zelensky on Aug. 11 said Ukraine has seen evidence that Moscow plans a full mobilization after Russia's parliamentary elections next month.
"Putin's plan is not particularly complicated… after the so-called elections, he plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus the same number for the year after," he said in a post on social media.
Zelensky said the plans were "confirmed by internal Russian documents" that he had discussed in a meeting with intelligence chiefs.
Russian officials have previously denied plans for mobilization before later announcing call-ups. The Kremlin denied plans for mobilization throughout 2022, with officials publicly dismissing the possibility just days before announcing a "partial" draft of 300,000 reservists on September 21, 2022.
In addition to recruiting Russian citizens, Zelensky said in July that Moscow is preparing to receive an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to support its war against Ukraine.
